ISO 19206-4:2020

Overview

ISO 19206-4:2020 specifies requirements for a bicyclist target (BT) used to evaluate detection and activation of vehicle active safety systems and ADAS. The standard defines the physical, optical, radar and thermal properties, motion and mounting requirements of a test target that represents a human bicyclist (adult and child) and electrically assisted pedal bicycles (pedelecs). It establishes methods to verify target responses to contemporary and anticipated sensing technologies, and includes requirements for the target carrier that moves the BT during tests. ISO 19206-4 does not set test procedures (speeds, timings) or pass/fail criteria for the vehicle systems themselves.

Key Topics

• Target geometry and sizing
  • Representative dimensions for a 50‑percentile adult male and a 6–7 year old child (see Annex A).
• Materials, safety and durability
  • Repairability, crashworthiness and construction to minimise risk to test personnel and subject vehicles.
• Sensing modality requirements
  • Optical / camera: colours, clothing and reflectance properties; reference measurement methods.
  • Radar: radar cross section (RCS) measurement, micro‑Doppler from rotating wheels and pedalling; reference measurement guidance.
  • Thermal / FIR: far‑infrared characteristics and reference measurements for thermal imaging systems.
  • LIDAR and NIR: sensor‑specific recognition properties covered in normative annexes.
• Motion, positioning and carrier interface
  • Longitudinal, lateral and vertical positioning, speed and acceleration ranges for BT and target carrier; interface examples (Annex G).
• Calibration and verification
  • Procedures and measurement equipment descriptions for lab and field verification (Annexes C, E, F).
• Posture and articulation
  • Static and articulated rider postures to simulate realistic bicyclist appearances (Annex D).

Applications

ISO 19206-4 is intended for vehicle OEMs, ADAS sensor and software developers, test laboratories, safety regulators and research institutions involved in:

• Developing and validating pedestrian/bicyclist detection and automatic emergency braking (AEB) systems.
• Designing test rigs and target carriers for controlled test scenarios.
• Verifying sensor-level recognition (camera, radar, LIDAR, thermal) of bicyclists and pedelecs.
• Harmonizing test target characteristics for regulatory or comparative testing.

Related standards

• ISO 19206 series (other parts cover additional target types and requirements)
• ISO 8855 (vehicle dynamics vocabulary)
• ISO 8608 (road surface profile reporting)

Keywords: ISO 19206-4, bicyclist target, ADAS testing, target carrier, radar cross section, LIDAR, thermal imaging, micro‑Doppler, pedelec, active safety systems.